I found my own will to sing was faltering. Soon, no amount of mental urging could bring it back. Fortunately, by that time the cable that I was riding seemed to have built its own momentum. A bulging standing-wave pushed me forward without any more apparent need for coaxing from my raw, over-used voice. Almost as if the thing could sense our destination drawing near, and a chance to get rid of my sub-standard croaking.

Whatever. Everyone’s a critic. I lapsed into silence gratefully. Thanks Bing. Thanks Bob and Dorothy.

Ahead, what had seemed a foreboding pyramid now revealed itself as a huge, slant-sided building that gleamed darkly, covered by a myriad panes of smoky glass, some of them dimly lit from within, revealing glimpses of an occasional, passing silhouette. Lower down, I spied several wide portals where the network of sky-wires seemed to converge. Indeed, there were cables of various sizes. Some of the thickest, coursing down by the riverside, conveyed bulbous passenger cars – evidently part of a complex public transportation system.

The far riverbank approached, and now I could glimpse a more brightly-lit zone, just beyond the great pyramid. Streets that glittered with illuminated displays and gaudy, flashing banners. Closer, right up next to my destination, there seemed to be some kind of commotion going on. A raucous crowd of noisy figures had gathered near one of the ground-level entrances, amid a tumult of shouts and low, rhythmic chanting. At first I suspected a riot… then realized that many of the figures carried signs and placards. A demonstration, then. As yet, I could not tell what the picketers were shouting.

Anyway, with one of those wide reception portals looming closer, I had other things on my mind. Preparing for arrival, I nervously gathered the collar of the black cloak that I had snatched away from Lieutenant Gala Morell – the one-time demmie security officer, turned seductive vampire, who had tried to drain me just a little while ago, only to be foiled by one of the oldest human tricks in the book. By itself, the cloak would not make a very good disguise. Especially if this giant pyramid turned out to be a stronghold of the Nomort caste. The topmost variety of undead creature on this unnatural world.

Keep your mouth closed and your head down, I told myself, wishing, for once, that my teeth were pointy, like a demmie’s. I hope the local vampires can’t smell a person’s condition. On this world, it can be a real handicap to be alive.